Matthew Rolston on photographing Daniel Craig as James Bond for the new issue of Rolling Stone

Daniel Craig on the cover of the new issue of Rolling Stone, photographed by Matthew Rolston.

This past summer, Matthew Rolston flew to London for just one day, to photograph Daniel Craig for a Rolling Stone cover story. Filming of the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, had wrapped the day before, and Craig was still very much in character as 007.

“I had a photo-date with Daniel Craig, and even though we only got to spend a couple of hours together, it was in every way memorable,” says Matthew.

“I was not shooting Daniel as Daniel but shooting Daniel as Bond,” he adds. “Those piercing blue eyes—like ice water. And when Daniel begins to perform as Bond, those famous eyes become the lynchpin of the image.”

Craig wore the now-famous Tom Ford tuxedo, custom-designed for the always-elegant Bond, giving Matthew the opportunity to bring his mastery of fashion photography to the portraits.

“The Tom Ford tuxedo is in itself an icon of the Bond character,” Matthew notes, “which deserves its own special place in cinema history.”

As for the cover, the photo features that classic Matthew Rolston chiaroscuro drama. Says Matthew, “Dutch master portraiture has always been a big influence on my work—I guess that’s why they call it ‘Rembrandt lighting.'”